Wednesday’s Seahawks wrap: It’s all on the line

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The development of the Seahawks’ offensive line, shown here working with quarterback J.P. Losman, will be critical to Seattle’s success this season. (AP photo/Elaine Thompson)

With offensive line coach Alex Gibbs and his policy of not having his players talk to the media, not a lot has been written about the men up front for the Seahawks this training camp.

But of all the position groups on the team, the offensive line might have the biggest say — and some of the most question marks — on how this season will play out.

How will rookie Russell Okung hold up at the critical left tackle spot?

Can center Chris Spencer rejuvenate his career in Gibbs’ zone-blocking system?

Does veteran Ben Hamilton, who turned 33 on Wednesday, have life left in the tank after losing his starting spot midway through last season in Denver?

Were Sean Locklear’s struggles at right tackle in the preseason opener a sign of trouble or just a bad start in a new scheme?

How is second-year man Max Unger developing at right guard after having been shifted to center late last season?

And those are just the starters. Perhaps the biggest concern with that unit revolves around the depth, given Ray Willis is undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee and the backup tackles now are converted guard (Mansfield Wrotto) and a 27-year-old journeyman who has yet to play in an NFL regular-season game (Joe Toledo).

Hamilton has been the backup center recently, with Chris Gibson, Mitch Erickson and Steve Vallos splitting time at guard with the No. 2s.

Is offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates concerned about the depth at tackle?

“Yeah, of course,” he said Wednesday. “At the same time, we’ll go as far as they take us. It’s up to those guys to take us to victories. And we’re putting a lot of pressure on them with the zone offense and the pass protection.

“They don’t get any recognition except when they give up a sack or a penalty, so you don’t hear about those guys. But they’re the key to our success this year.”

Of course, we would hear more about the line if they were talking, but that’s another story. How did they perform in the zone blocking scheme in their debut Saturday?

“We have to get better,” Bates said. “We have a long ways to go. Our run average was extremely low in the first half. But we’re going to keep grinding.”

Julius Jones and Justin Forsett totaled 30 yards on 12 carries in the first half against the Titans.

Bates said it’s a work in progress.

“They’re playing hard and they’re competing and they’re growing,” said the new coordinator. “So I look forward to watching how much they improve this week from last week.”

The Seahawks host the Green Bay Packers in Game 2 of the preseason Saturday at 7 p.m.

No closing costs: Placekicker Clint Stitser, signed Tuesday to provide some relief for sore-legged veteran Olindo Mare, had been selling real estate and coaching high school kickers in Reno, Nev., when he got the call from the Seahawks.

Clint Stitser

Stitser said he’s been kicking 2-3 days a week with his prep prospects and working out regularly while his agent continued pursuing NFL opportunities.

He hasn’t kicked in a game since finishing his college career at Fresno State in 2007, but has taken part in free-agent kicking camps the last two years and performed well enough to get an invitation from the Jets over this past offseason.

Stitser, 25, got cut before the Jets started camp, but was more than ready when the Seahawks called. He noted that with just 32 available NFL jobs for kickers, it’s a difficult career to crack.

Of course, this is a tough time to break into the real-estate world as well with the current economic struggles.

“It is, but there’s volume,” Stitser said. “With low interest rates and a first-time home buyer tax credit, which obviously expired, but basically low interest rates and affordability is keeping volume up. Smaller deals, but I’m not used to anything different because I’m new in the game.”

He has a real-estate partner handling things in Reno as long as need be, which presumably will be whenever Mare’s sore calf recovers enough to allow him to kick full time.

Schneider then filled that roster opening by signing free-agent defensive tackle Amon Gordon, who played high school ball at Mariner in Everett before going on to Stanford and then spending six years in the NFL with four different teams.